SL Trib Editorial: Jeepers ruin spring break?
- Thread starter EZRhino
- Start date
embabe
My own epidemic!
- Location
- Salt Lake City
That letter really bugs me. 
He is very hypocritical in the way he is so nearsighted! He assumes his experience is the same as everyone else's when it's not! It makes me want to write back and give him a good piece of my mind. :-\ Then again, he's not worth my time.
He is very hypocritical in the way he is so nearsighted! He assumes his experience is the same as everyone else's when it's not! It makes me want to write back and give him a good piece of my mind. :-\ Then again, he's not worth my time.
James K
NO, I'm always like this
- Location
- Taylorsville, Ut
EZRhino said:
I can't get the link to work
Spork
Tin Foil Hat Equipped
- Location
- Saratoga Springs, UT
works for me...
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2665915
It's a whiny letter. I bet the same guy goes to Phoenix in July and complains it's hot or Disneyland on the busyiest day of the year and complains that there was a line to see Mickey.
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2665915
It's a whiny letter. I bet the same guy goes to Phoenix in July and complains it's hot or Disneyland on the busyiest day of the year and complains that there was a line to see Mickey.
James K
NO, I'm always like this
- Location
- Taylorsville, Ut
Spork said:works for me...
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2665915
It's a whiny letter. I bet the same guy goes to Phoenix in July and complains it's hot or Disneyland on the busyiest day of the year and complains that there was a line to see Mickey.
works now
OH MY HELL.
can we paint a more one sided picture?we( the sweet innocent big eyed puppy dogs ) were harrassed and victimized by them( the 10' tall drooling cyclops) with no regard for our safety and hard earned money.
I don't knopw why but it still amazes me everytime I read something like this. That they are the only victims in this. We as the majority are also hurt by the actions of a FEW.
greenjeep
Cause it's green, duh!
- Location
- Moab Local!
You guys are just lucky YOU didn't have to talk to him, man that was a long conversation!
He sure did a great job of making up things that I supposedly said.
He sure did a great job of making up things that I supposedly said.
Man am I glad that I was there with my TOYOTA...or I would really be pissed!
j\k
You can really tell this guys attitude when he referes to all ejs guests as "drunken rednecks" with a "a motorcade of mud monsters".
He must be an english teacher in chicago.. Nice use of alliteration.
j\k
You can really tell this guys attitude when he referes to all ejs guests as "drunken rednecks" with a "a motorcade of mud monsters".
He must be an english teacher in chicago.. Nice use of alliteration.
This guy's arguements are typical for liberals. I doubt he even knows what the hell he's talking about......he probably can't tell the difference between ATV tracks and mud tire tracks. So someone drives over your campsite, you didn't see what happened, and because you are stupid enough to be in town when there are 4000 lifted rigs cruising around, it is automatically the fault of Jeep Safari, RR4W, Grand County, Rancho, and GreenJeep? Give me a break. Why does the Trib. print this sh*t?
greenjeep
Cause it's green, duh!
- Location
- Moab Local!
That was exactly the way he was acting tooEZRhino said:
When he was making plans to come out didn't he wonder why all the hotels were booked and all the campsites taken?
Next year I'm going to Sturgis and I'm going to complain about all the bikers!!
BroncoMama
Rock Diva
- Location
- Just south of craziness
I wonder if it would be in everyone's best interest for you to respond to that letter Dave. The fact that he was directly "mis" quoting you and used your name, that was pretty ballsy. I shouldn't even read stuff like that, it gets me so angry!!
V-DAWG
someday
- Location
- Taylorsville
I would be pissed off if someone drove over my tent and didn't take responsibility. What if his friend was in it?
Johnny4X4
Active Member
- Location
- West Valley City, Utah
Other innocent bystanders will descend on Moab in the future. Many, as we did this year, will arrive with no inkling that it is Jeep Week until a motorcade of mud monsters rolls past. <---
what a crock or crap-- if he has really been comming down to moab for 10 years surely he has run into jeep week before, and how is it possible to not know about the one of the biggest publisized events in the world. also, how does a school teacher from chicago write a letter and get it posted in the SL Tribune?
what a crock or crap-- if he has really been comming down to moab for 10 years surely he has run into jeep week before, and how is it possible to not know about the one of the biggest publisized events in the world. also, how does a school teacher from chicago write a letter and get it posted in the SL Tribune?
XJEEPER
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Highland Springs
Dave, a rebuttal is neccessary and needs to point out the obvious facts:
Guilt has been established without proof......Who really damaged the tent and violated their campsite?
Mis-quoting=lying to support agenda......"I have to add that not one spoke without rolling their eyes in bewildered resignation and muttering Jeep Week."
"Well then, we'd rather not have you here for Jeep Week."
Jeepers are all drunken, campsite pillaging rednecks? Teachers are all liberal, biased, green weenies?
Oddly enough, a person so educated could overlook the fact that there is a clear seperation between Jeepers and Spring Break Yahoos. Because they appear to have similar forms of transportation or recreate in the same geography, then they must all be of like mind and purpose. A break.....please.
And if Moab is so offensive during "Jeep Week", then perhaps one could check out Moab's official website to see what's going on in town before scheduling his crosscountry jaunt and hiking trip......it's been going on for 36 years around Easter time, and getting more Yahoo-ish the past 5, but then an educating professional who's visited Moab for the last 10 years would know this, right?
We don't see the stories printed about "Jeep group assists lost mtn bikers with water, food and transport of injured back to town" or "Tools loaned to bikers by Jeepers to fix broken bike" or ........."Jeeper's clean up shredded tent and junk from campsites left by Yahoo Spring break hikers from Chicago."
OK, that last one was a shot.......
Guilt has been established without proof......Who really damaged the tent and violated their campsite?
Mis-quoting=lying to support agenda......"I have to add that not one spoke without rolling their eyes in bewildered resignation and muttering Jeep Week."
"Well then, we'd rather not have you here for Jeep Week."
Jeepers are all drunken, campsite pillaging rednecks? Teachers are all liberal, biased, green weenies?
Oddly enough, a person so educated could overlook the fact that there is a clear seperation between Jeepers and Spring Break Yahoos. Because they appear to have similar forms of transportation or recreate in the same geography, then they must all be of like mind and purpose. A break.....please.
And if Moab is so offensive during "Jeep Week", then perhaps one could check out Moab's official website to see what's going on in town before scheduling his crosscountry jaunt and hiking trip......it's been going on for 36 years around Easter time, and getting more Yahoo-ish the past 5, but then an educating professional who's visited Moab for the last 10 years would know this, right?
We don't see the stories printed about "Jeep group assists lost mtn bikers with water, food and transport of injured back to town" or "Tools loaned to bikers by Jeepers to fix broken bike" or ........."Jeeper's clean up shredded tent and junk from campsites left by Yahoo Spring break hikers from Chicago."
OK, that last one was a shot.......
greenjeep
Cause it's green, duh!
- Location
- Moab Local!
Here is my detailed side of the story.
Ross called me on Saturday morning, leaving a long (seriously, like a 3 minute-long message on my phone) demanding that the RR4W take responsibility for this supposed incident, and that it was our responsibility to take preventative measures to ensure that something like this won't happen again in the future. He even went so far as to demand that the RR4W get warnings printed up on BEER BOTTLES warning people about this type of behavior. I don't know how much power he thinks I have, but I surely don't have that much.
I called him back Sunday afternoon, after we got off the trail, and he started off very pleasant to talk to, and I apologized to him that the situation happened, but that the RR4W in no way are liable or in any way responsible for the damages. He kept reiterating his melodramatic rantings that someone could have died, and if that had happened, we would be facing a huge lawsuit.
Well, a few years ago, someone on Golden Spike drove off a cliff and died, and their parents sued the RR4Ws because their son had been at Jeep Safari. But the son was not registered with us and was nowhere near the registered trail group, so the case was immediately thrown out because we were not liable.
I explained this to him, but he didn't care because it was "our party" so it was "our responsibility". He also kept complaining over and over about the $70 it cost to fix his tent, and I told him it was unfortunate, but $70 isn't that big of a deal. I also never said anything about seeing two Jeeps roll. I did tell him that if he were coming to Moab during Jeep Safari, and NOT registering with the RR4W, that we, as a club would rather they come a different week. I feel very very strongly about this, and apply it to other jeepers, hikers, bikers, and sightseers. If you come to Moab during Jeep Safari and aren't registered, you are becoming part of a problem that the RR4W have to deal with year after year.
After I explained this to him, he got very upset, telling me that he had just as much right as anybody does to use public lands, which is exactly right, but we as a club would rather them come a different week. It would be like going to Sturgis during the annual motorcycle rally and complaining about all the bikers, or going to Daytona Beach during the Spring Break, and complaining about all the college kids.
When the guy was making his plans, did he not wonder why all the hotels and campsites were booked up? If he didn't know that Jeep Safari was that week, then that's unfortunate. But as the law says, ignorance is no excuse. He claims he's been coming to Moab during his Spring Break for years. Frankly I think it's impossible for him to be doing that, and never have heard about Safari!
After half an hour of listening to his complaining and reiterating the same points, I told him I had nothing more to say to him, that I hope he had a very nice day, and then I hung up on him.
Every year for the last few years, Jeep Safari has received some sort of negative publicity from SUWA regarding our event. This is the first year that we havent. So the club's lawyer, Paul Mortensen, wonders if this guy is just a front for SUWA to get their anti-access, jeepers-are-bad message out.
We also are looking to get a copy of the police report he filed to see what exactly was reported. Speaking with Eve Brannan, who works in the Sheriff's department, and is the RR4W secretary, she said that there were no witnesses to the incident and no other statements were taken besides his. So, he's saying that in a crowded BLM campground, the night before Big Saturday, this huge monstrous Jeep went tearing through his campsite, and nobody saw or heard any of it? How remarkable. I am planning on speaking to the officer who took down the complaint to try and get all the details straightened out.
There also is some question as to where exactly he was camped, and whether he was even in a legal BLM camping site. I'm familiar with the Gold Bar Campsite where the supposed incident happened, and as far as I know all of the campsites are far away from any bushes or trees. The whole thing seems very suspicious to me.
If you would like to contact him, his name is Ross Freshwater, and his email is: rfreshwa@hotmail.com
Ross called me on Saturday morning, leaving a long (seriously, like a 3 minute-long message on my phone) demanding that the RR4W take responsibility for this supposed incident, and that it was our responsibility to take preventative measures to ensure that something like this won't happen again in the future. He even went so far as to demand that the RR4W get warnings printed up on BEER BOTTLES warning people about this type of behavior. I don't know how much power he thinks I have, but I surely don't have that much.
I called him back Sunday afternoon, after we got off the trail, and he started off very pleasant to talk to, and I apologized to him that the situation happened, but that the RR4W in no way are liable or in any way responsible for the damages. He kept reiterating his melodramatic rantings that someone could have died, and if that had happened, we would be facing a huge lawsuit.
Well, a few years ago, someone on Golden Spike drove off a cliff and died, and their parents sued the RR4Ws because their son had been at Jeep Safari. But the son was not registered with us and was nowhere near the registered trail group, so the case was immediately thrown out because we were not liable.
I explained this to him, but he didn't care because it was "our party" so it was "our responsibility". He also kept complaining over and over about the $70 it cost to fix his tent, and I told him it was unfortunate, but $70 isn't that big of a deal. I also never said anything about seeing two Jeeps roll. I did tell him that if he were coming to Moab during Jeep Safari, and NOT registering with the RR4W, that we, as a club would rather they come a different week. I feel very very strongly about this, and apply it to other jeepers, hikers, bikers, and sightseers. If you come to Moab during Jeep Safari and aren't registered, you are becoming part of a problem that the RR4W have to deal with year after year.
After I explained this to him, he got very upset, telling me that he had just as much right as anybody does to use public lands, which is exactly right, but we as a club would rather them come a different week. It would be like going to Sturgis during the annual motorcycle rally and complaining about all the bikers, or going to Daytona Beach during the Spring Break, and complaining about all the college kids.
When the guy was making his plans, did he not wonder why all the hotels and campsites were booked up? If he didn't know that Jeep Safari was that week, then that's unfortunate. But as the law says, ignorance is no excuse. He claims he's been coming to Moab during his Spring Break for years. Frankly I think it's impossible for him to be doing that, and never have heard about Safari!
After half an hour of listening to his complaining and reiterating the same points, I told him I had nothing more to say to him, that I hope he had a very nice day, and then I hung up on him.
Every year for the last few years, Jeep Safari has received some sort of negative publicity from SUWA regarding our event. This is the first year that we havent. So the club's lawyer, Paul Mortensen, wonders if this guy is just a front for SUWA to get their anti-access, jeepers-are-bad message out.
We also are looking to get a copy of the police report he filed to see what exactly was reported. Speaking with Eve Brannan, who works in the Sheriff's department, and is the RR4W secretary, she said that there were no witnesses to the incident and no other statements were taken besides his. So, he's saying that in a crowded BLM campground, the night before Big Saturday, this huge monstrous Jeep went tearing through his campsite, and nobody saw or heard any of it? How remarkable. I am planning on speaking to the officer who took down the complaint to try and get all the details straightened out.
There also is some question as to where exactly he was camped, and whether he was even in a legal BLM camping site. I'm familiar with the Gold Bar Campsite where the supposed incident happened, and as far as I know all of the campsites are far away from any bushes or trees. The whole thing seems very suspicious to me.
If you would like to contact him, his name is Ross Freshwater, and his email is: rfreshwa@hotmail.com
I think before everyone runs off and contacts him, we ought to get our facts straight. It's not going to look good if a bunch of people start sending him hate mail--especially with the writing capabilities of some people on here
Lets get the facts straight then maybe have somone write an elequent response via email outlining his ass-hattedness.
I'd be happy to write it if nobody else wants to.
Cody
Lets get the facts straight then maybe have somone write an elequent response via email outlining his ass-hattedness.
I'd be happy to write it if nobody else wants to.
Cody
- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
Cody said:I think before everyone runs off and contacts him, we ought to get our facts straight. It's not going to look good if a bunch of people start sending him hate mail--especially with the writing capabilities of some people on here
Lets get the facts straight then maybe have somone write an elequent response via email outlining his ass-hattedness.
I'd be happy to write it if nobody else wants to.
Cody
Can't say I disagree with any of that......
lenny
formerly known as PokeyYJ
- Location
- Bountiful, UT
I might get flamed for this, but....
Maybe he does have a valid point? Is it possible that precautions need to be taken to prevent the party-like atmosphere that is in Moab during EJS? Or have we exhausted our means of controlling the crowds? I just think that maybe trying to work with these so called "liberals" might be a better idea than name calling.
Maybe he does have a valid point? Is it possible that precautions need to be taken to prevent the party-like atmosphere that is in Moab during EJS? Or have we exhausted our means of controlling the crowds? I just think that maybe trying to work with these so called "liberals" might be a better idea than name calling.
lenny said:
I dont think its the fact that the RR4W's do not want to work with the "liberals". Its the fact that as greenjeep pointed out, how can they take any precautionary steps if they are not part of the group. It didn't happen on a trail ride, it didn't happen while anyone of the RR4Ws was even around. Its humanly impossible to plan for every little thing that might happen. Do you want a chain link fence around each tent site so your tent doesn't get ran over? I'm not syaing its ok that his tent was damaged, but the fact is, there is nothing RR4W or anyone can do to avoid everything. The best thing that could happen is for EJS to be moved to a different week so "Jeepers" are not being confused with Spring Breakers. Stuff is still going to happen, but there was another article (either in the tribune or the Moab Times) thats had the sherriff quoted as saying this was actually a very mild EJS and they had no major disruptions.
I think the crowds are beign controlled the best that they can be. What more do you want? Do you want a personal babysitter for each person in town?
embabe
My own epidemic!
- Location
- Salt Lake City
You know, I was actually down in Moab the same week this supposedly all happened with my frat/sorority buddies for spring break. The U's spring break, I believe, was the latest one this year, and it ended on the same day EJS started. We never had any problems with any EJS people or other spring breakers, in fact, I don't think they have ever had any problems as this Moab trip has been a tradition for many years.(all they do is hike and rock climb, i was the only rock-crawling jeep to ever come! ) I think it's also rather odd that it was automatically assumed to have been a jeep/jeeper that caused said damage. Is it possible that it could have been some 10-year-old borrowing his daddy's 4-wheeler who accidentally lost control? What I want is to know the actual facts and not just stick with someone's assumptions. Once everything is straightened out I think it would be wise, in addition to the e-mail to the "whiner", to submit our own rebuttal to the SL Tribune as they have a responsibility to give equal representation to both sides of the story.
) I think it's also rather odd that it was automatically assumed to have been a jeep/jeeper that caused said damage. Is it possible that it could have been some 10-year-old borrowing his daddy's 4-wheeler who accidentally lost control? What I want is to know the actual facts and not just stick with someone's assumptions. Once everything is straightened out I think it would be wise, in addition to the e-mail to the "whiner", to submit our own rebuttal to the SL Tribune as they have a responsibility to give equal representation to both sides of the story.